It's the DT Friday Freakout! A roundup of headlines from the worlds of health, science, and parenting to ruin your holiday weekend:
- The CPSC announced a recall of 7,260 Bugaboo Bees, all manufactured in 2011, to replace front swivel wheels. At least four incidents have been reported where the swivel wheels lock up, causing the stroller to tip forward and plant a kid on the street. Bee owners should contact the company for replacement wheels. [cpsc]
- Bugaboo also has recalled over 64,000 adapters for Graco car seats, sold between Dec. 2005 and 2011, which is almost all of them, because once, when someone kicked up the footboard, and the car seat was installed facing forward, the board popped the car seat release. So the fix is a cover for the release button and a sticker, to remind you to put the car seat on facing you. [cpsc]
- Also, Bugaboo apparently sold 260 Bees in Canada in 2011, and averages around 1,000 Graco adapters/month since 2006. Adjust your baby start up business plans accordingly.
- Build-A-Bear workshop has recalled nearly 300,000 "Colorful Hearts" teddy bears [above] sold between April and Dec. 2011 because the eyes come loose and pose a choke hazard. That is a depressingly high number. 284,000 of this one model of bear sold in 7 months, with 284 US locations, that's--a suspiciously round number. [cpsc; related: Build-A-Bear pays $600K fine for failure to report other product defects]
- Target has recalled 139,000 $20 kids wheelie suitcases, made in 2011, because they're covered with lead. [cpsc]
- Some headlines are so easy, it's like Christmas come early: "Toddlers won't bother learning from you if you're daft" [bps res digest]
- Wait, doesn't daft mean crazy? Because the study's actually about lying. It should read, "Toddlers learn bullshit when they see it."
- "Hi Greg, Just a quick note to check if you've heard about the school in Kentucky accused of stuffing an autistic boy in a duffle bag?" Nope. [I'm sure you can Google it]
Nope, daft means "silly".
Blerg that's my youngest daughter's bear that my mother got her. She adores it. Do I trust her not to eat the eyes if they pop off or do I take it in?
Heather, I'd say take it in. My daughter got this bear less than a week before the recall and I had to repair two tears in the fabric by the next day. I wasn't happy about it, obviously. But I've since learned that Build-A-Bear has pretty amazing customer service. I emailed to complain about the quality and the fact that I didn't want to return a bear my daughter was already so attached to. I got an actual reply (as opposed to a canned response), from the CEO no less, in about 15 minutes. After normal business hours. I was all set to write them off completely, but I'm going to give them another chance based on their response.